บททั้งหมดของ The Sugar Daddy: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 9

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, put on a smile warmer than any capitalist's, and stepped out from the corner.My employer happened to be coming out of the kitchen with a plate of freshly cut fruit.His name was Kyle Foster, a man with an exceptionally steady presence. The designer loungewear he wore so casually probably cost more than my entire year's living expenses."Mr. Arthur Wilder, come have some fruit," Kyle said with a smile. "Roobs is a little clumsy. She didn't scare you earlier, did she?"Roobs?The corner of my mouth twitched.I glanced at my mother, Ruby Lawrence, who was following behind him with her head lowered, carrying a fruit platter. I'd lived long enough to see some strange things, but this was a first.My mother was pushing fifty, and she had spent years working the assembly line on overnight factory shifts until wrinkles were etched into the corners of her eyes.Here she was, in this mansion, being called "Roobs" with unmistakable affection. She'd

I found Dad was not at home.A seriously ill patient who needed dialysis three times a week had gone out alone in the middle of the night?He must have seen the phone Mom left at home and discovered that her real location wasn't some damn processing plant in Southside Industrial Park, but a luxury villa in the wealthy North Ridge Estates.I bolted out the front door like a madman and flagged down a taxi."To Hawthorne Estates. Hurry!"I was on the verge of losing my mind. My palms were slick with sweat.The entire ride there, I prayed nonstop.'Mom, Mom... It's bad enough that you carried the wrong phone. But how could you forget to turn off the location-sharing app? If Dad caught you playing wife to another man, his fragile heart and failing kidneys would probably give out on the spot.'I repeatedly called Mom's other number, but it was switched off.Kyle probably didn't allow her to take calls at night. She was certainly dedicated to her role.Security stopped the taxi at t

I gripped the thin payment receipt in my hand, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.Mom was still on her knees on the floor, covering her face as she sobbed. "Why... why would he do that? After everything I lied to him about, he still..."I didn't have time to sit there and cry with Mom. Stuffing the receipt into her arms, I gritted my teeth and gave my instructions, "Stay here and watch over Dad. Don't go anywhere. Even if the sky falls, stay here until he comes out of surgery.""Arthur, where are you going?""I'm going to settle the score behind that $500,000."By the time I left the hospital, dawn was beginning to break. I took a taxi straight to Hawthorne Estates.During the ride, countless possibilities ran through my mind.Was Kyle feeling guilty?Was he trying to buy out the rest of Mom's life with money? Or was this just another rich man's condescending act of charity?Whatever the reason, I couldn't let Dad lie on an operating table burdened by the humiliation of bein

I peeked out to look.At the far end of the hallway, Uncle Nick Wilder was marching toward us with his good-for-nothing son, Anthony Wilder, in tow.Uncle Nick was nothing short of a parasite. Back when Mom was still earning a modest living at the factory, he'd borrowed money from her under every excuse imaginable and never paid a cent back.Later, when Dad was diagnosed with kidney failure, Mom had gone to Uncle Nick in desperation. She had even gotten down on her knees outside his house and begged, but he never opened the door. Instead, he cursed through the metal gate, calling Dad a good-for-nothing money pit.Now, after catching wind of what had happened, he'd shown up like a fly drawn to blood."Nick, what are you doing here? This is a hospital." Mom hurried over and tried to stop them from entering."What am I doing here?" Uncle Nick sneered. "I'm here to visit my poor little brother who's practically at death's door."He shoved Mom aside, his beady eyes darting around gre

The surgeries were scheduled for three days later.When the news reached Dad's room, Mom cried and laughed like a child all at once.However, Dad gripped the edge of his blanket and flatly refused to sign the consent forms."No. Absolutely not! Arthur isn't married yet. He hasn't even started a family. If he loses a kidney, how is he supposed to live the rest of his life?"Dad's voice was weak, but his resistance was unwavering. To him, my health was ten thousand times more important than his own life."Dad, the doctors already explained it. People can live perfectly normal lives with one kidney. Do you really want me to stand by and watch you die, then spend the rest of my life drowning in guilt?"Mom wiped away her tears beside us. "Jayden, Arthur's right. If you're gone, this family falls apart."Nevertheless, Dad refused to budge. He even started a hunger strike in protest.The situation reached a complete stalemate.Then Kyle showed up again. He walked into the room carry